Heartless (Crossbreed Series Book 9)

by Dannika Dark

  “We’re not officially mated, if that’s what you’re getting at. But even if we were, both Raven and I work for Keystone. If Viktor found a wife, he would have to either keep her out of the house and away from our secrets or involve her in them. The latter poses more risks. What woman is willing to risk a memory wipe that spans decades if the marriage goes wrong? Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph.”

  “And if Raven leaves? Does she also get a memory wipe?”

  Christian clenched his jaw.

  “Are you telling me you two have engaged in a relationship that may one day be doomed to erasure?” Lenore threw back her head and laughed quietly. Then she tapped her chin and regarded him for a minute. “I’ve underestimated you, old friend. Knowing the risks, you still took them. That’s admirable. But things don’t always work out as planned. It’s just a shame you’ve marked your body. You’ll always carry that reminder if something happens or she leaves you, but you know that already.”

  “As I said, I’ll guard you for as long as Viktor commands, but not a minute longer.”

  “Do you always do what Viktor asks you to do?”

  “Aye.”

  “Interesting,” she replied obliquely.

  “Let’s just keep this businesslike.” He stood from his chair. “One skill I learned in my last job is there’s no place for idle chat. When you guard a person, it’s not your job to provide entertainment. It’s a distraction, and you wouldn’t want anything distracting me, now would you?”

  She laced her fingers together. “You’re absolutely right. Distractions are a weak spot.”

  Christian headed for the door. “I’ll just be packing my bag.”

  “Christian?”

  He gripped the doorknob but didn’t look back.

  “It’s good having you at my side again. I know the feeling isn’t mutual, and that’s for the best. I have no desire for you to reciprocate those feelings. You wrongfully attached yourself to me, and I think you know now that we would have never been a suitable match. In some ways, I saw you as the progeny I never had. It wouldn’t have felt right leading you on.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I never loved you. I never could. And I never will.”

  That stung far more than it should have. Christian threw her a baleful look over his shoulder. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather borrow a broomstick and fly yourself home?”

  She cast him an icy gaze that made his spine straighten. “What a dreadful thing to say.”

  “That’s a keen observation coming from a woman so heartless.”

  Lenore frowned. “Do you really think a Vampire can keep his heart? You’re clinging to the idea that you still need one, but it’s futile. You can’t be what we are and keep your precious heart. That’s what separates us from other immortals. There was a time long ago when makers didn’t bother teaching their younglings how to curb their bloodlust. It was a natural part of who we were. But eventually we had no choice but to teach ourselves.” She stood up and faced the empty fireplace, her arms folded. “I once loved, when I was young and full of dreams. It almost broke me. Had someone not mentored me through it, I wouldn’t be standing here today. Of all the Vampires I’ve met, you’ve always been the one with the most potential. I want to see you around in another thousand years. Not everyone has the fortitude to last that long, and it’s a lonely journey when friends die or kill themselves. Someday, when you let go of your heart, you’ll truly be the Vampire that you were born to be.”

  “I already let go of it,” he said, not sure why she was digging in her heels on a petty argument.

  “Yes. But you gave it to someone. When you give your heart away, it always comes back.” Lenore turned and lowered her arms. “Sometimes not all in one piece.”

  Chapter 14

  A knock at the door made me set down my egg roll and tiptoe across the room. Claude bent down to peephole level, and though his face was distorted and he had on a red baseball cap, it was definitely him.

  I opened the door.

  “What’s shakin’?” he asked.

  “Do you really think that hat makes all the difference?”

  “Clark Kent only needed a pair of glasses.” He waltzed in with a plastic bag. “It hides my hair.”

  “Yeah. That helps,” I said, closing the door. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

  He tossed the bag on the bed and frowned. “I don’t know your hotel phone number, and I couldn’t go to work without making sure you’re okay.” He tilted my chin up. “You okay?”

  When my cheeks heated, I pivoted around. “Take a seat.” Once at the table, I munched on my egg roll, unable to meet Claude’s direct gaze. “Last night was embarrassing, and I don’t want to talk about it. But now I’m worried that somebody saw Christian come in.”

  Claude pitched his hat onto the bed and took the opposite chair. After raking his fingers through his golden hair, he peered through the slim gap in the heavy drapes. “If our cover is blown, I’ll take the heat. I’m the one who called Christian.”

  I finished the egg roll and wiped my fingers on my sweatpants. “Why didn’t you call Viktor instead? Or Blue?”

  “Do you think Viktor would have popped in and given you a ride home? Blue doesn’t have clothes, let alone a car. My options were limited. I couldn’t leave work, and if I persisted, they might have figured us out. Anyhow, it’s not about that. When something goes wrong on our missions, Viktor doesn’t want to know. Not unless it’s a game changer. He wants us to take care of it. So I took care of it.”

  “Thanks.”

  I decided not to tell Claude what had happened in the red room. The door didn’t have a lock, and he was probably doing what he thought was right by calling Christian so I wouldn’t be left alone for the entire evening.

  I sat back and straightened my legs. Though I’d tried to put last night out of my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking about what might have happened if Christian hadn’t busted in. How could he be so understanding? I’d never been drunk on Sensor magic before, but his reaction really took me aback. Instead of a lecture, I got Chinese food. Instead of suspicious eyes, I got a long kiss to my forehead.

  “Have you narrowed down any suspects?” Claude asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  “One so far. Crawford.”

  Claude scratched inside his ear. “You mean the older male in the Armani suit?”

  “That’s the one. Grey-haired and a mole on his left cheek. He gave me his card last night.”

  Claude stared at the leftovers in my Styrofoam container. “What does he want?”

  I shrugged. “I guess I’ll find out. He said it has something to do with earning extra money, but he gave the card to me after the ruckus last night. He’s a VIP with a lot of money. I’ve never seen him go into the rooms or upstairs. Have you? He just drinks and watches people.”

  “I don’t recall specifically. Shepherd must have gotten some bad vibes from him if he’s on the list.”

  I glanced at the bed. “What’s in the bag?”

  Claude sat back and glowered. “My gold panties.”

  “It must hurt to be that good-looking.”

  “I’m average.”

  When I regarded him with a pointed stare, he gave me a winsome smile. Claude had sensual lips, and combined with his beguiling eyes, he could set off a fire alarm.

  “Okay. Above average,” he confessed before standing. While he got plenty of attention in the gold shorts, I could tell that being sexualized was wearing him down.

  I noticed my clothes laid out on the bed. Part of me wanted to bail and hide out at my dad’s house instead of going back to the club.

  Claude looked down at me. “How do you feel? You can take a night off. They’ll understand. Viktor will understand.”

  “We can’t afford to. I need to jump on this Crawford lead while it’s hot. I don’t want him tracing my call back to the hotel, so I have to use the phone at the club. A day
off would be great, but it’s not the assignment that’s getting to me; it’s everything else. Dressing in that outfit, people leering, all the stuff that goes on in there. The sooner we close this case, the better.”

  “Agreed.” He sat at the foot of the bed and rubbed his eyes. “It’s only been just over a week, but it feels more like a month.”

  “I don’t know why a guy like you signed up with Keystone. You’ve got the salon, clients—you could totally go out on your own.”

  Claude lowered his head and clasped his hands together. “I didn’t have the salon until Viktor hired me.”

  I remained quiet, knowing I’d crossed a line by poking into his past. We all respected one another’s privacy—most of us wanted to leave the past behind.

  “Are you familiar with kindred spirits?” he asked.

  I knew a little about it from a diary I’d read on one of our jobs. “A Chitah’s mate.”

  “Not quite. Chitahs have free will to mate anyone we choose, but a kindred spirit is someone we were born to love. It’s our soul mate.” Claude stared vacantly at a painting on the wall. “Not all of us find our intended. We’re often born in different times or countries, but the Prides now have what they call a Gathering. It’s held every year locally, and then there are national and international ones.”

  “Sounds like a giant dating game.”

  “A male knows his kindred spirit the moment he sees her and draws in her scent. She doesn’t. So if we want to court her properly, we must prove ourselves worthy and win her love. I met Josephine in 1965. My parents had passed away by that time. They were old.”

  “Don’t Chitahs live for hundreds or thousands of years?”

  “They had my sister and me very late in life—past the age that most females will consider children. Chitahs usually live with their siblings, but my sister was born different, so our parents were protective and kept her home with them.”

  “Where’s your sister now?”

  Claude’s voice softened. “She died many years before they did. It was a hard adjustment, and I couldn’t abandon my parents. I stayed with them until the end. So after they died, I was lost and on my own.” He smiled wistfully. “Literally lost. I decided to move from Pennsylvania to Cognito, and I got mixed up. I approached a young woman to ask for directions, and when she turned around, I knew instantly that I’d met my kindred spirit. An empty part of my soul instantly filled up.” He held his fist to his chest. “All I wanted to do was mark her and make her mine.”

  “That might have made it a little awkward in the middle of the road. Do you really do that?” I wrinkled my nose.

  “There’s no greater honor.” He steered his gaze to me. “It’s not as vulgar as it sounds. Our chemistry changes, and a unique scent lifts off our skin. It lets every other male know that this female is claimed, and it lets her know that she has a serious suitor. One who will die for her.” Claude leaned back on his hands. “She backed up a step when she caught it wafting off me. I didn’t mark her, but the imprint lifted off my skin as if it were searching for her. Josephine was like no female I’d ever known. She wore patchy bell-bottoms, and two flaxen braids were tied in the back. Her top was so skimpy that I almost took off my own shirt to cover her up.”

  “People didn’t dress like that in your hometown?”

  “In Williamsport? No. Even Cognito was a little reserved in those days, so Josie stood out.”

  “Josie?”

  “That was her nickname. I sometimes called her pussycat, after the comics. It was an inside joke.” Claude stood up and brewed a pot of coffee. “Humans were protesting the war, fighting for civil rights, and speaking out for women’s lib. But it was different for Breed. We had issues of our own, and maybe some of the human protests galvanized people within our own communities to make big changes. Josephine was outspoken against what she called the patriarchy of Breed culture. Almost every organization was run by males. The laws were riddled with holes, and women didn’t have all the protection they deserved.”

  After the coffee brewed, Claude poured two cups and set them on the table. He sat across from me but turned his chair toward the door.

  Steam rose from his cup, and he let it sit on the table to cool. “Josie wanted more female leaders. She was part of an activist group that showed up at all the meetings organized by our elders and the Lord. It wasn’t just Chitahs, they wanted change everywhere. Especially with the higher authority. Leaders were and still are selected by their peers. It’s not a public vote.” He sipped his coffee. “Change was more important to her than anything.”

  “Even you?”

  “Especially me.”

  “Why?”

  He released a deep sigh. “I represented something she was fighting against. She equated mating her kindred spirit as a step back. I never pushed her. She was willing to give me her body, just not her heart. Josie wanted to change the world.” The light in his eyes dimmed. “She mated another male. He was a Mage, a representative for the higher authority. She thought by publicly mating her natural enemy that it would bring everyone together, but I knew that wasn’t the real reason.”

  I warmed my fingers on my mug. “What was?”

  “Josie thought if she could mate with someone in power, she could be the puppet master who pulled the strings—that she could change the laws from the inside, because their efforts on the outside were failing. Her comrades didn’t understand, and their protests escalated to violence. They threw Molotov cocktails into the homes of important men, and when one of those incendiary weapons set fire to a Mageri councilman, everything changed. They became renegades and went underground. The higher authority declared them outlaws and wanted anyone affiliated with them killed.”

  I furrowed my brow. “They can’t do that. Dead or alive is the rule, but they can’t order hits.”

  He lifted his cup. “When eighty percent of the panel was Mage, they could do whatever they wanted. The Mageri formed first, so when the higher authority was conceived, it was hard to get leaders from all the Breeds to join. Nobody wanted to be the bad guy and have a target on his back.”

  I got up and sat on the edge of the bed to face him. “So what happened?”

  “There was an insurgence. When some of the revolutionaries were killed, others joined. The higher authority wanted to snuff them out before they lost control. Many lives were lost on both sides. It lasted several years. They eventually negotiated a peace treaty and allowed the rebels to remain in the Bricks with no fear of retaliation in exchange for adding a few women to leadership. By then everyone wanted peace.”

  I reached for Claude’s baseball hat and held it in my hands. “What happened to Josie? Did she stay with that man?”

  The color drained from Claude’s face. “Josie was found in the river.”

  Thunderstruck, I stared at his hat, unsure of what to say. What can you say to a blow like that?

  He touched the handle of his mug but didn’t drink. “I found out on a Monday morning while eating a bagel in a café. I turned the page of the newspaper, and there it was. I still remember the sound of two males laughing, the bell jingling when a female walked in, the jasmine smell of her perfume as she passed my table. Everything in that moment crystallized. My kindred spirit was dead. They said it was suicide, but I didn’t believe it. Someone murdered her.”

  “I’m really sorry.”

  All four of Claude’s canines elongated, but he kept talking as if he wasn’t aware. “First I went after her mate to get answers. I smelled lies, went primal, and I killed him. Then I went to question her former acquaintances who were living it up in the Bricks. I smelled lies and killed some of them. I went on a killing spree, and I couldn’t stop. I never got answers. I never got the truth.”

  “How are you still alive?” I shook my head. “Killing a higher authority member is a death sentence.”

  “True, but I wager they didn’t want him there anymore and were glad he was gone. He was a corrupt man, something Josie didn’t k
now when she mated him.” Claude stood up, grabbed his bag, and then lingered by the door. “Sometimes you don’t get answers, and that’s the worst kind of torture there is. To never know how or why your loved one died. To never know what their last words were. And though I probably killed her murderer, I don’t know for certain, and I never will. At least they found her body.”

  I stood up and joined his side. I wanted to say she didn’t deserve a guy like Claude, but he would have been offended. His kindred wanted to change the world and thought marrying strategically would help their cause. She was willing to sacrifice her own happiness for a greater good. It was what brave people did. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

  “Viktor rescued me from cage fights, you know. That’s where I ended up. I had so much rage. I get why some of these women might do it. They’ve been held back in life, and they’re trying to get what they deserve—money and power. They’re easy targets. That’s why I took this job. Viktor turned my life around and gave me a chance to help people and not hurt them.”

  I handed him his hat. “I know what you mean. You didn’t have to tell me all that, but I appreciate it. I won’t tell anyone else.”

  He took the hat. “It’s not a secret. I’m sure most of my deeds are well documented in the higher authority’s files. Viktor fought hard for me, and so I’ll fight hard for him. Even if it means wearing gold panties.”

  I rocked on my heels. “If it’s any consolation, you’re the hottest guy in the club, even fully dressed.”

  He leaned down and touched his forehead to mine. “Take care of yourself, female. I worry about you.”

  “I worry about me too.”

  Chapter 15

  “Pitcher for table nine,” Simone called out.

  Filling pitchers had become my job, and I knew it was because those customers were cheap tippers. But I didn’t complain. It gave me a chance to talk to Claude and share information.

  “How are the tips, Mistress White?”

  I gave Claude a cross look. “Don’t call me that. Not unless you have a twenty in your hand.”